By Edwin Kyle Kule
The wait for basketball action is over, and business and action will start on Friday, January 26, when the first round of the 2024 National Basketball League will finally tip off.
The UCU Canons will take on the Kampala Rockets, while the Lady Canons will lock horns with Kampala University in the season openers. Both games will be played at YMCA Courts, Wandegeya, on Saturday.
Both Canons and Lady Canons will seek to kick off the season on a high after scooping gold medals for boys and girls in the recently concluded AUUS Games.
Being known as the nursery bed of basketball talents in Uganda, UCU will stage another team with a lot of new faces and a number of departures.
John Baptist Dauna is expected to join the City Oilers after completing his studies at UCU. Dauna has been training with the record NBL champions, and his transfer will be confirmed soon.
Sam Lukaire, UCU sports administrator, revealed to this website that the team is ready and they are only waiting for the tip-off.
“The team is well prepared. They are coming off a tournament where most people have been off. So they are ready to compete because they have been practicing,” he said.
“They have been together, and I am so confident that they are so ready. The talent is there, but it will even get better if they are fully exposed. We have new faces, and it takes time to reach their best,” he added.
Lukaire added that, as an institution, they are sure of losing their best after completing their studies, but they have organised a programme that allows a smooth transition season after season.
“We are used to losing our best to our rivals. The difference is that you lose experience and work with young people who make a lot of mistakes. However, at UCU, the coaches are working with the boys and seeing that they represent the university to the best of their ability,” he concluded.
Last season, both Canons and Lady Canons finished the season in the third position on either log. Do they have enough fuel in their tanks to do better this season?
It’s just a matter of time, and we will find out. Good luck to our gallant boys and girls, for they have always made us proud.
